HU209767B - Collapsible container for flowable materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The container includes a pair of rigid walls interconnected by walls and a web. The container can be arranged in an expanded condition with the rigid walls spaced apart from one another. - In a collapsed condition, the rigid walls are disposed in parallel relation forming a flattened unit. The rigid walls provide an effective labelling surface for the container.(1)

Description

The present invention relates to a collapsible container for dispensing materials, in particular fluids.

U.S. Patent 3,506,163 discloses a collapsible container for dispensing various types of flowable materials such as household articles and food. The material to be stored or dispensed may be of high viscosity, however, it may be liquid or flowable materials.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,509 discloses a variable volume reservoir used primarily for fueling systems. The container has two spaced apart panels which are joined together by an accordion-like side so that when pressed by the side panels, the volume of the container can be reduced, i.e. collapsed.

One of the problems encountered in packaging technology is that a collapsible container should be provided from which the contents of the container can be emptied completely, while the container has surfaces which are useful for labeling purposes. When packing fluids, it is essential that the container has to meet specific transport and storage requirements. Flexible tanks are generally not collapsible or, if I can collapse, it is difficult to return them to the expanded position for loading fluid. In general, such known containers have a cross-section or at least a curved cross-section. Such containers require relatively large space during transport and can be transported economically only at relatively short distances. As with transport problems, storage of such containers is problematic.

In the folding, open top container of French Patent No. 2 603 557, the two rigid hexagonal side walls are joined by folding side walls and the bottom side has a fold line. When the container is fully opened, and even partially or fully closed, the rigid walls remain parallel to one another.

Swiss Patent No. 622,750 discloses a square-based column-shaped container that can be folded along longitudinal and transverse fold line sections. The folding side walls connect rectangular rigid sides or panels, however, when the container is in a collapsed and expanded position, the rigid side walls remain parallel throughout.

A common drawback of the latter two solutions is that they are somewhat cumbersome to manufacture and use, and it is difficult to ensure complete dispensing of the stored material. This requirement is particularly emphasized when dispensing more expensive materials, since in the absence of complete dispensing the residual material loss can be significant.

: It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above shortcomings, that is, to provide an improved collapsible container, particularly for dispensing flowable materials, which is reduced in volume and simpler, easy to handle, economical for transport and storage, collapsible, scale.

In order to solve this problem, we started with a collapsible container having a storage space wall structure consisting of two substantially rigid sidewalls and collapsible walls connecting their edges. The essence of the solution is that at least three of the three edges of the two rigid sidewalls are joined by at least two edges, and the remaining one edge of the rigid sidewalls is connected by a single connecting rib which is at the same time connected to the edge of the rigid sidewalls that they can be rotated relatively when brought from a closed position to a closed position. Thus, when the container is open, the rigid sidewalls are disjoint starting from the connecting rib, but when the container is closed, the edges of the rigid sidewalls overlap. Further, the lower part of the folding walls, connected to the rigid side walls, forms the bottom of the container, and the connecting rib extends upwardly from this bottom.

It is desirable to have a design in which the rigid sidewalls are triangular planar plates with their boundary edges located below the bottom of the container and one of their two lateral edges connected to the rib.

Preferably, the folding walls form a cohesive, concave-like shape.

According to a further feature of the present invention, the container has an aperture suitable for containing material to be stored and unloaded, and a dispensing nozzle which is removably connected thereto.

Preferably, the connecting rib extends from the bottom to the upper end of the rigid sidewalls.

After filling the container, the bottom area is the maximum extended area, but the more material is dispensed from the container, the smaller the area shrinks. The rigid sidewalls always give the container sufficient stability, so that at any stage of the dispensing the bottom provides a sufficiently secure support for the container.

During transport, the collapsible container can be flattened to a minimum volume. This capability not only guarantees economical and space-efficient transport, but also has the same advantage of storage, which can be maintained in a collapsed state until loaded. When reaching the fully compressed position, the last drop of stored material can be dispensed completely.

The folding container according to the invention can be of various shapes and sizes. When folded, it can be stored in as small a space as possible, which minimizes the need for transportation and storage space. However, even when filled, the storage and transport space utilization of the compact container according to the invention is advantageous.

Other preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and in the dependent claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the accompanying drawings

No. 209,767 B, which illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a folding container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a 90 ° view of the solution of Figure 1 with a metering stub;

Fig. 3 shows the solution of Fig. 2 in a collapsed state, but without a metering port;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the solution of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the container from the other side.

As shown in the drawing, the folding container according to the invention is designated as 1 in its entirety. The container 1 has a bottom part 2 which is intended to support the container when it is placed on a support surface. In this case, the container 1 has two triangular, substantially flat and rigid sidewalls 3 which are joined by folding walls 4. According to the invention, the rigid sidewalls 3 are connected along their respective side edges by a single, non-deformable, i. This is illustrated in more detail in Figures 4 and 5.

In Fig. 1, a dispensing connection 6 is shown schematically as an auxiliary assembly of the container 1, another version of which is designated 6 'in Fig. 2. In Figure 3, the metering nozzle 6 was removed. Fig. 2 shows the expanded or expanded position of the collapsible container 1, while the position of the collapsed container 1 is shown in Fig. 3. The container 1 is provided with an opening 7 on its top which is intended for filling the container 1 with the flowable material and, after inserting the dispensing nozzle 6 and 6 'into the opening 7, also serves as a spout for the container 1. flowable material may be dispensed.

To press the contents of the container 1, the rigid sidewalls 3 must be clamped so that they move towards each other. In this case, the fluid exits through the dispensing nozzle as a result of pressure. Depending on the nature or the type of material being stored, the dosing nozzle 6 may optionally be gas-tight to prevent accidental or inadvertent discharge of the contents of the container or air after completion of the dispensing operation.

For storage or dispensing of sterile materials, the dispensing nozzle 6 may be provided with a valve as described, for example, in U.S. Patent 4,072,534.

The rigid sidewalls 3 in this case are planar, but may also be formed as flattened curved surfaces, which are very suitable for placing labels or the like.

In general, according to the invention, the rigid sidewalls 3 are joined by the connecting rib 5 so that they can rotate relatively relative to one another when the container 1 is pressed from the opened position (Fig. 2) to the collapsed position (Fig. 3). , or vice versa. The position of the connecting rib 5 at the height of the side walls 3 always depends on the shape of the container 1.

In the case illustrated, the collapsible container 1 is made of polyethylene, but can also be made of any other plastic material in a manner known per se.

As indicated above, the folding walls 4 form an accordion-like configuration and are located there to connect the rigid sidewalls 3. The arrangement of the folding walls 4 relative to the dispensing nozzle 6 ensures that the flowable material from the container 1 can be dispensed completely, i.e. completely.

As shown in Figure 2, when opened, the bellows-like walls 4, also forming the bottom portion 2, are arranged such that adjacent surfaces are spaced apart. When the container 1 is emptied, or before or after filling, the rigid walls 3 can move from their position shown in Figure 2 to the position shown in Figure 3. In Fig. 3, the lower part of the folding walls 4 is also in a flattened position, which is thus located between the rigid sidewalls 3 as shown.

Preferably, the container 1 can be made of plastic by blow molding technology, and the dispensing nozzle 6 can be manufactured separately into the opening 7. Thus, in its fully flattened position, the container 1 can be boxed and transported economically at any distance. After the flowable material has been filled into the container 1, the dosing port 6 and 6 'is inserted into the opening 7. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the container 1 of the present invention may be manufactured in a variety of other shapes, depending upon the particular aesthetic and storage conditions.

Finally, it is mentioned that the exemplary embodiment described is intended to illustrate the invention only, that is, many other designs and variants of the folding container according to the invention are possible within the scope of the claimed application.

Claims (6)

A collapsible container for dispensing materials, in particular flowable materials, having a receptacle wall structure consisting of two substantially rigid sidewalls and folding walls connecting at their edges two or more of said rigid sidewalls (3) being foldable walls (4) are connected by at least two edges, and the remaining one edge of the rigid sidewalls (3) is connected by a single shape-retaining rib (5), rotatably relative to the rigid sidewall (3) from the open position when the container (1) is open, the rigid sidewalls (3) are divergent starting from the connecting rib (5), but when the container (1) is closed, the edges of the rigid sidewalls (3) are overlapping and the rigid walls (4) The lower part, connected to the side walls (3) B, forms the bottom part (2) of the container (1), of which the connecting rib (5) has an upwardly extending arrangement. Folding container according to Claim 1, characterized in that the rigid sidewalls (3) are triangular, flat plates, one of which is bounded by the bottom (2) of the container (1), at the bottom, the two one of their other lateral edges being connected to the connecting rib (5). 3. Folding container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the folding walls (4) form a continuous, accordion-like shape. 4. Folding container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container (1) 5 has a flow opening (7) for loading the flowable material and a dispensing nozzle (6) releasably connected to this opening (7). 5. A collapsible container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is a connector 10 ribs (5) extend from the bottom (2) to the upper end of the rigid sidewalls (3).